Life Upside Down

One of the best (and WORST) things about living abroad is the kind of people you cross paths with, only to un-cross paths with them for a little while or longer.

I’ve met a lot of travellers. People on journeys, people with dreams and plans and places to go and stories under their feet. Brisbane isn’t their first stop, and it won’t be the last. This post is about one such friend.

Her name means dream, or vision. A blend of comedy, holistic earthiness and blatant, Irishly unapologetic realism, this woman has captured the heart of everyone I’ve seen meet her, including myself. Her rambling monologues of hilarity have brought me to tears, she has comforted my tears, I’ve seen her tears. There have been a few tears, but so much more laughter.

We met through a job that we both remained in for less than a year. It was (is) a young, vibrant company, full of extroverts and artists, people looking to make social change in the world and who overwhelmingly had passions rooted in the arts. Even then, in conference rooms full of A-class people buzzing with energy, she stood out. This woman has such a riotous sense of humour that for the first six months or so that we actually hung out, I didn’t think we had much of a friendship because even though I had a crazy friend-crush on her, I never managed to stop laughing during our encounters so it was impossible to say much of anything. Befriending her felt like befriending Tina Fey.

However, there’s more to this one than well-timed remarks, droll commentary and gut-busting one-liners. There is a soulful energy here, a real depth that isn’t hard to see. She is honest to a point, generous to a fault, and endlessly compassionate. Our friendship has been versatile. She’s obligingly experienced a midnight McDonald’s  run with me after a courtyard party when only cheeseburgers would do. She’s shepherded me through hours of waiting in an ER during the terrifying Bali typhus incident, even though she was facing a massive med school entrance exam in a matter of days. She has babysat my plants, listened to me worry, and counselled my fears. She’s always been up for crafternoons, Christmas cookie parties and a fair few boozy nights.

I’ve never met a person of such paradoxical truths. She is so many things, all of them unfeigned and unapologetic. She is a wanderer, a carer, a creative, a passionate student of life. She is brimming with honesty, full of hope and tenaciously intent on seizing each day and wringing it for all its goodness.

Darling Aisling, Melbourne is so very, very  lucky to have you. You are leaving a giant, gaping hole in the heart of Brisbane but I know you will inject your fearless courage into everything that faces you next. You are a light, beautiful woman. We miss you already and send you on your way with all the love and laughter that you’ve shared with us.